by Jade Veronique V. Yap 

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is set to visit China in January 2023, Malacañang said Friday.

This is after the chief executive accepted Chinese leader Xi Jinping's invitation to visit China in the first week of January next year, the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) said in a press statement.

In a statement, the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) said Marcos Jr. has accepted the invitation of President Xi Jingping to visit China on "January 3 to 5/6." 

It added that the Chinese government has since confirmed the state visit schedule. 

On Wednesday, Marcos expressed the hope that he would have the opportunity to speak with Xi about the South China Sea (SCS) issue on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related summits.